Rev. Dr. John (Jack) E. Harnish

Sermon: TBA

John E. (Jack) Harnish is a native of Clarion, Pennsylvania.  He graduated from Asbury College and Asbury Theological Seminary and was ordained in the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church where he served his first appointment.

From Western Pennsylvania Rev. Harnish moved to Michigan and served as a pastor until his retirement in 2013.  For seven years he was the Associate General Secretary of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry where he worked with programs of pastoral training around the world including the establishment of the UM seminaries in Estonia and Russia.  In recognition of his leadership in theological education, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary awarded him the Doctor of Divinity Degree and the 2013 Elisa Garrett Award for Distinguished Service.  He has served as a Trustee at Methodist Theological School in Ohio, Adrian College and the Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary. In 2014 the Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church recognized him with the Frances Asbury Award for his contribution to United Methodist Higher Education.

His most recent publication is a reflection on the life and work of the great Methodist evangelist/missionary E. Stanley Jones—Thirty Days with E. Stanley Jones- published by Front Edge Publishing.  Early works include The Orders of Ministry in the United Methodist Church and Do Not Be Afraid:  Bishop and Young Clergy Share Signs of Resurrection and Words of Hope. He is in demand as a preacher and has been the speaker at Lakeside Chautauqua in Ohio, Epworth Heights, and the United Methodist House at Chautauqua Institute in New York. He is a guest columnist for MIConnect, the on-line publication of the Michigan Conference and the Benzie County Record Patriot.

Jack and his wife Judy have two sons who are in education and three grandchildren.  They make their home on Platte Lake. For more information go to www.johneharnish.com.